CO.T.IR. RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR YEAR 2010

CO.T.IR. research program for year 2010 is divided in 4 research projects developed on the basis of the following 4 themes by now strengthened in our research Center:

Theme 1 – Irrigation, soil and crops management

Theme 2 – Bio-energetic chains

Theme 3 – Environmental and territorial studies 

Theme 4 – Agricultural and food studies and researches

The program for year 2010 aims at strengthening our knowledge developed in the programs carried out in the previous years. The proposed activities are oriented towards keeping the continuity of plurennial projects which need a long term study. Further innovative activities which are always included in COTIR 4 research themes, try to develop knowledge and to create the scientific basis which allow our Center to propose itself with its project ideas and its researchers.

The following projects have been proposed in each research theme. h theme. h theme.

Theme 1 – Irrigation, soil and crops management

Theme 2 – Bio-energetic chains

Theme 3 – Environmental and territorial studies 

Theme 4 – Agricultural and food studies and researches

Each of these projects is divided into more activities which are followed by a researcher.  

PROJECT 1 – AGRONOMIC PRACTICES IMPACT, INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES AND PRODUCTS QUALITY

Environmental conditions variability plays a very important role on agronomic research results firmness. Natural factors change continuously and, in the last few years climate changes linked to anthropic activity appear more and more worrying such as CO2 increase and the consequent temperature raising. Climate changes show their more evident effects when precipitation distribution changes. More and more often we notice a drought periods prolonging followed by exceptional rainy events which provoke floods and environmental catastrophes. So, in order to obtain more stable results, it is necessary to deepen these researches, to repeat them over more consecutive years and to reduce the mistakes linked to pedo-climatic conditions variability.

In this project we identified 3 research lines, the first one directed to study and optimize hydric resource and soil management use, the second one directed to evaluate the efficacy of mixtures based on bacteria and fungi on roots activity strengthening and to evaluate the efficacy of the resistance to some parasites, the third one directed to the evaluation of some straw cereals species and varieties production performance.

These are CO.T.IR. research lines and its main activities:

1. Irrigation and soil management: productive, agronomic and environmental  implications

· Activity 1 – Soil irrigation and agronomic management on grapevine product growth dynamic and on its quality.

· Activity 2 – Single sequence durum wheat cultivated with conventional and conservative techniques response.

2. PGPR micro-organisms application

· Activity 3 - PGPR micro-organisms applications to improve productions yield and qualitative characteristics and to reduce agronomic practices environmental impact.

3. Herbaceous crops in open field productive and qualitative performance evaluation

· Activity 4 – Autumn sowing barley and triticale yield and quality performance evaluation.  

PROJECT 2 - AGRO-ENERGIES: a chance for agriculture and for environment

The problem of energetic supplying sources security and diversification, together with the awareness of fossil energy sources use environmental effects, are moving agriculture more and more towards renewable energetic sources. For agricultural farms, the production of “agro-energy” is a development chance upheld by regional and European supports, and it is a way to contribute to environment safeguard.

The European Union aims at increasing renewable resources use in order to limit the dependence from conventional fossil sources and at the same time to face the urgent environmental problems generated by their use. Fossil fuel use has a negative impact on environment and there are no doubts on the urgency of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and of slowing the global warming process.

In April 2009 the European Union issued four directives with which a global package of measures was enforced to reduce global warming EU contribution and to guarantee energetic supplying security and sustainability. This package of measures, is the European energetic policy wider reform, and aims at making Europe as the world leader in renewable energies field and technologies with low carbon dioxide emissions (CO2).

The European Union, by these directives, aims at “20-20-20” goal: to decrease greenhouse effect gases emissions of 20%, to promote renewable Energy use (arriving to 20%) and to limit energy consumptions of 20% within 2020 (if compared to year 1990 levels). Such measures will reduce the dependence on gas and hydrocarbons importation and will protect economy from energy prices volatility and supplying uncertainty.

Unfortunately, Copenaghen Conference disappointed the European Union expectations.

In this text, shorter than 3 pages, the fundamental elements for the European Union are missing, among which there is greenhouses effect gases emissions reduction. There is not either the indication of year 2010 as expiry within a treaty must be concluded, nor the need for a legally binding agreement. Nevertheless even such a scant result was so hard to be reached.

This document (agreed at the end of Copenhagen Conference) invites to reduce greenhouses effect gases emissions, in order to limit global warming at less than 2°C, which is considered the threshold beyond which the climatic change could degenerate into an uncontrollable spiral. The more developed countries are urged to make deep and verifiable cuts, while the developing countries should begin to reduce their emissions and report according to the results reached each 2 years, leaving space to consultations and analysis at international level.

At regional level on December 16th 2009 the Regional Energy Plan (PER) became operative after that the administrative measure proposed by the regional Junta obtained, for the first time, the Regional Council approval.

The Regional Energy Plan (PER) is the main instrument through which the Region plans, addresses and harmonizes in its territory strategic interventions concerning energy. It is a technical document in its content and political in its choices and interventions priorities.

This plan analyzes the region energetic needs and the territory potentiality in Energy by renewable sources production: hydroelectric, solar, thermal, (liquid and solid) biomasses, and wind sources. The Energy Plan main aim is to arrive to 2015 at 51% of energy consumption guaranteed by renewable sources.

In the last few years CO.T.IR. started a series of research and experimentation activities in agro-energy field. With the present research project our goal is to propose six projects concerning:

Activity 1: “Technical and environmental evaluation of poplar clones use in irrigated and not irrigated regime in central Italy pedo-climatic environment.”

Activity 2: “Evaluation of some varieties of biomass sorghum productive response in irrigated and not irrigated environment.”

Activity 3: “Soil management technique evaluation on Brassica carinata grain yield and on its energy characteristics.”

Activity 4: “Energetic tobacco agronomic technique setting up and oil qualitative and quantitative evaluation.”

Activity 5: “Innovative crops laboratory experimentation such as oil algae to produce biodiesel.”

Activity 6: “Abruzzo Region agro-energy economic district: an energy and environmental evaluation.”

The results diffusion activity is fundamental so that research project can have a positive impact on Abruzzo territory. Thus, it will be necessary to carry out all these forms of diffusion which can give visibility to our research: a web page on CO.T.IR. web site, popular seminars, publications, etc.

PROJECT 3 – AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY AND NATURAL RESOURCES: some proposals to reduce the negative impacts on environment

Description

Agricultural activities, just like other activities,  can have consistent effects on environment, changing natural habitats and landscapes, can have effects on plants and animals, and more generally on natural resources such as soil, water, climate, energy, and biodiversity. Phenomena such as soil erosion, the continuous less availability of water for irrigation, salinization and the contamination due to toxic substances, and, at last, the loss of biodiversity, are all consequences of intensive agriculture, which became more simple with the passing of time thanks to single cultivation, pesticides use, herbicides, chemical fertilizers and very regular tillage.

On the basis of these considerations sustainable agriculture developed concept, that is agricultural elements and resources management which can satisfy the different human needs, keeping whole the basic natural resources and avoiding environment degradation.

From an operative point of view sustainable development will be achieved by:

·The use of renewable resources so that this use rate is not higher than the re generation rate;

·The letting of wastes in environment lower or equal to its assimilation capacities.

The European Union pays a particular attention to environmental themes and to common agricultural policy (PAC) elaboration and encourages a sustainable agriculture which respects the natural environment. The European Union agricultural policy evolves continuously. In the beginning (about 50 years ago) the accent was put on the need for the production of enough food for Europe which was facing many famines due to war. The present policy of the European Union aims at giving the chance to all food producers to be competitive autonomously on the EU and world markets. If it is necessary, the PAC integrates the farmers incomes to ensure them an acceptable standard of living. This assistance is linked to more general aims respect of breeding hygiene, food safety, animals health and wellness, traditional rural landscape protection and protection of birds and wild fauna.

In this sense, an important step forward was taken with the PAC reformation in year 2003, which subordinated the EU funds granting for environmental laws observance. The Community-action also aims at the limitation of every sort of agricultural pollution, at the encouraging of bio fuels development, production and use and at biodiversity defence.

Besides PAC the European Union introduced a series of measures which go on this direction:

· The framework directive on water 2000/60/CE;

· The “nitrates directive”, in order to reduce and avoid water beds pollution caused or induced by nitrates with agricultural origin, which are one of water pollution main causes;

· A wide strategy in food safety field not only regarding food, but also animal health and wellness, and plants health. The general laws are accompanied by special measures for the sectors in which a more specific consumer protection is justified, such as the use of pesticides, food integrators, colourings, antibiotics and hormones.

Following these themes, we are going to propose two research activities aiming at providing the main instruments which (at various levels) allow to actuate appropriate agricultural policies. The first one – “SWAT and MODFLOW hydric models application to Vibrata river basin” - offers the chance of evaluating pollution derived by nitrates of agricultural origin on an hydrographic basin and to simulate future sceneries according to good practices application which follow the goals of the framework directive about waters. The second one – “Plant protection products: Pilot farms comparison” - focuses on pesticides management and the certifications systems and their scarce application in agricultural sector.

PROJECT 4 – AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD QUALITY: qualitative, nutritional and food safety aspects of some traditional yields

Description

The requirements of healthiness, functionality and genuineness which have been characterizing in these last few years the market requests, undoubtedly allowed the agricultural and food sector to become more and more of quality.

In fact the consumers are far more oriented towards quality food products, and this idea is nearly always associated to the origin certification. Thus, certainly products with labels indicating the certification of their quality are far more attractive from a commercial point of view.

In order to answer to the need of a market more and more oriented towards “quality”, companies can actuate many strategies:

1. strategies linked to the direct sale of products by farmers which often create connections of acquaintance and trust with the consumers.

Many companies reach absolute excellence levels. This type must not be underestimated, even if it is a limited segment of the Italian companies, because it can provide satisfying income levels for many entrepreneurs.

2. strategies linked to the sale of typical products transformed and ready-made for qualified traders, restaurants, specialized stores.

It is about the exploitation (through guaranteed brands) of a wide possession of knowledge improved with the passing of time and of technologies adapted to specific local spheres. When a typical product has a very high reputation, it reaches (or it can reach) a certain yield threshold and can be commercialized also out of the local sphere. Among the various ways there are the registered trades which are protected at UR level: DOP, IGP, STG and biological agriculture.

3.strategies linked to the chains of fresh food products, meat for example, but also fruits and vegetables.

In these cases the voluntary product certification is very interesting. For fresh vegetables and fruits it can also be a very simple certification, which is fundamental for the consumer, and which is based on rules indicating the origin, the control or the lack of wastes, the varietal conformity, and the nutritive elements richness.

4.particular strategies which, sometimes, integrate with the already indicated ones.

The most important strategy is biological agriculture, with a specific certification controlled by regulations by the European Union. These production methods have a very strong environmental and ethical importance and find a growing interest of a large part of consumers.

5. strategies linked to agricultural and food traceability.

The present project aims at exploiting the quality of some Abruzzo region agricultural and food yields and at guaranteeing its food safety.

In particular, the guidelines of research will be:

-         To evaluate packaging efficiency in food storage according to the aliment metabolic profile determination in different kinds of packages; 

-         To characterize durum and common wheat qualitative and bio-functional aspect, of old local Abruzzo varieties according to their genotype and their adaptation;

-         To evaluate production techniques with low agricultural impact;

-         To characterize durum wheat flour metabolic profile;

-         To define particular characteristics of some Abruzzo region monovarietal oils according to the method and the cultivation environment.

This project is articulated in the following 4 activities:

1)      Cheeses ripening and storage processes characterization through NMR spectroscopy – 3rd year

2)      Main biochemical components variability analysis in grains of some durum and common wheat Abruzzo varieties, deriving from biological and conventional productions (2009/2010 – 2nd year)

3)      Metabolic profiles determinations of some durum wheat varieties through NMR

4)      Monovarietal extra-virgin olive oils characterization